Dating and Dragons
by digthewriter
Summary: Charlie receives a surprise visit from his friends and family. A bigger surprise is the fact that Neville also joined them. Or, Charlie always blamed it on "bad timing" that he and Neville never got together in the first place, now, he doesn't want to lose his only chance.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer** : Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.

 **Warnings:** Totally made up things about Dragonologists, Romania, Charlie's work, and Dragons in general. OMG the fluff (and some pining).

* * *

 **Dating and Dragons**

(Neville/Charlie)

* * *

"But I wanted _that_ one!"

Charlie hated family days at the dragon sanctuary. It was all fun and games when he had shown the kids around, but it was always at the souvenir shop those little brats went all crazy. He didn't mind it too much though, a tiny souvenir of a dragon cost enough to feed a Hungarian Horntail for three days.

"Come on, then. Say hi to your uncle first."

Charlie heard a familiar voice as he turned around to find Neville Longbottom with Harry, Draco, Hermione and Ron.

"What are you doing here?" Charlie tore his gaze away from Neville to look at his brother who was holding baby Hugo in his arms. Rosie was holding Neville's hand and she'd looked up at him, mumbled a 'Hi, Uncle Charlie,' and pulled Neville away from the group.

"She's a bit shy, sorry about that," Hermione said to Charlie, who nodded.

"We wanted to surprise you and well, Draco didn't want to come alone," Harry said at which Draco immediately stiffened up. "He doesn't have the best luck with creatures." Draco scowled at him and Harry quietly chuckled before squeezing his hand.

Charlie watched his exchange quietly, and again, wished how his job didn't always keep him away from his friends and family that he would miss all the new developments in their lives. Last he'd heard, Harry was pining over Malfoy, and now they were an actual couple. It was good to know Malfoy wanted Harry back just as much.

"Rosie's been chatting up with Neville ever since he came over and brought her a book on dragons—"

"Isn't that _my_ job?" Charlie asked Ron.

"Yeah, well, this one's different. Anyway, we had no idea he knew so much. He's actually been really good with her, teaching her and even Malfoy new things about dragons. We all wanted to be on the tour with you, but we'd all planned it too late, especially since we wanted Neville to come with us, you know. Anyway, we got a great tour from Robin…that's his name, yeah?" Ron stopped to breathe for a moment when Hermione nodded at him.

"Anyway—"

"How long do you all plan on staying?" Charlie asked, before Ron could go on for mile a minute again.

"Just tonight. We wanted to know if you are free to have dinner with us. This was supposed to be a surprise and all. We have reservations at the Inn, except…" Hermione trailed off, looking uncomfortable.

"Except…?"

"They were all booked up and unless Neville rooms with Harry and Draco—"

"He can stay with me," Charlie said, and tried not to cringe at how quick he was at responding to that. "In fact, you all could have stayed with me. I have enough room, you know."

"We know, but we just thought given how you'd be around kids all day today—" Harry stopped talking when Rosie came rushing back and slammed into his side. "Watch it there, big girl," he said laughing, and picked Rosie up.

She was showing him a miniature Chinese Fireball. "Neville said that they love eating pigs," she told him and looked at Charlie for confirmation.

"It's true," Charlie said, nodding. He took the mini Fireball from her hand and mumbled a spell, the dragon moved his head and started to cough. It snorted out colours from its nose and Rosie squealed in delight.

Charlie laughed and looked at Ron and Hermione again. He was very aware of how close Neville was standing next to him. The last he'd seen Neville was at Christmas when he'd arrived late with a boyfriend in tow. Over the years, Charlie had had only a few interactions with Neville, but he'd always admired him, even if from afar. He would have said something to Neville, but it seemed whenever they were around, one of them wasn't single.

Even if Charlie could admit he had a bit of a crush on Neville, he would never try to pull him when he was with someone, or if Neville was. This time, there was no boyfriend, and the last one, Stefan, he'd heard was a bit of a drama queen.

"I'm about done in thirty minutes here, so if you all want to go to the Inn and freshen up and we can meet at the restaurant for dinner. Or you can wait here, look around, and we can leave together."

It was almost as if on cue, Hugo started to cry.

"The baby's being a bit fussy today, so I think we might head over there," Hermione said. Then, she looked at Neville, which gave Charlie an excuse to do so, as well. "Neville, if it's all right with you, you'll be staying with Charlie."

"Oh, okay," Neville said with a hint of surprise in his tone.

They'd brought him on the trip and hadn't told him? Charlie found that to be highly suspicious.

"Good to see you again, Neville," Charlie finally spoke to Neville and offered his hand. Neville shook it immediately with a 'you too'. His hand was soft but his grip was firm and commanding. It sent shivers up Charlie's spine.

"We can keep Neville company while you work, Charlie," Draco said, finally speaking ever since they'd arrived.

"No, you don't have to," Neville said quickly, as Charlie was just about to thank them for doing so. "You two must be tired, as well and I don't want to be a bother—"

"But I'm not ready to go!" Rosie chimed in.

Charlie was quickly getting pulled away from the group as one of his co-workers asked him a question. "I'll be right back," he said to the group and went to speak to Natya.

"Alexandru is late for his shift again," Natya informed him, as they were huddled in the corner of the room. "I'm just about to leave and there's no one to watch Siivo—"

"That's all right," he said quickly, trying to calm her. The last thing he needed was an agitated dragonologist. If she were to start freaking out then Charlie would pick up on that negative vibe, and before they know it, Siivo would have a hissy fit. "It's just about a matter of feeding him, yeah?" he asked and she nodded.

"Don't worry. I'll take care of it. I know Alex is having some family trouble, but he'll be here. Just do me a favour and try to schedule two people on days he is working so we don't have to do this again?"

She looked at him with an abundance amount of relief and then hugged him. Charlie found it so amazing that people who worked with such fierce creatures were always so warm hearted.

He headed over to where Harry, Draco, Neville, and Rosie were and decided to break the bad news to them.

"Unfortunately, I have to work longer than I'd expected. The shops are closing in thirty minutes, but I have to go and take care of some dragon business," he said, smiling. Neville was staring intently at him, and it made him just a bit nervous. "So, what we can do is, if you all want to head over to the Inn, Neville can just go to my flat without me. Harry can take you there as he's been there and wards will let him in. Or—you can wait here with me and watch me work with a Hebridean Black."

"Work with him?" Neville's blue eyes nearly popped out of his window as the strands of his blond hair fell onto them. He raised his hand to push his hair back, and Charlie followed the trail of his fingers.

He really hadn't had human contact in such a long time that he was going crazy for his desire for Neville. Surely, that had to be the reason.

"It's nothing major. He'll be resting. I just have to go into his territory, it's magically warded so he can't fly away in case he does wake up and drop off his food. The bloke that's supposed to cover the shift is running late and I'm the shift manager so…"

"Can I watch too?" Rosie asked, sounding excited.

"I'm sorry, love," Charlie said, making a sad face, "but kids aren't allowed that close to a dragon. No matter how safe we are. You have to be at least fifteen to—"

"Uncle Harry was only fourteen when he _battled_ a dragon," Rosie said, and it was incredible how _just like_ Hermione that little girl was.

"And you're not fourteen, either," Harry thankfully chimed in. "Come on, we'll go to the Inn and you can take a nap with Hugo."

Rosie made a face but didn't argue. And a moment later, they were all gone, leaving Neville alone in the shop with Charlie, and the fifty other kids that were running around like the place was on fire.

Siivo, was thankfully very much out of it when Charlie and Neville entered his area. The idea of keeping animals in cages, as once how Harry had described it, horrified Charlie. They liked to keep all of the dragons in check, but never placed them in any cages. They simply placed a charm on the dragon so he wouldn't fly off too far from the reservation but never did they ever contained the beautiful creature in such a way that made them feel like a prisoner. Or at least Charlie hoped not. He was pretty good at reading his dragons, and he loved working with them, and he _never_ felt as if any of his lovely creatures were unhappy.

"He's beautiful," Neville said as Charlie placed the deer meat in Siivo's area.

Siivo had recently hurt himself with a harsh landing so Charlie had also mixed in the potion that coated the meat. Usually, Siivo didn't mind hunting for himself, and Charlie didn't object to it either, but since the dragon was getting older and healing slower, he had to take care of him on his own.

"He's been here since I started working here," Charlie said in a hushed tone as he watched Siivo sleeping. "He's almost like…I feel like he belongs to me, you know?"

He looked at Neville who was watching him with great intensity again. He nodded, and Charlie didn't miss how Neville had licked his lips. It was as if he'd not realised he'd done so.

As they walked away from the creature in his slumber state, Charlie thought of asking Neville questions. Anything to get rid of the awkward silence he felt between them. Most likely because it was _Charlie_ who was being completely weird around the man. Creatures he was great with. People? Not so much.

"Hey, Charlie. I'm so sorry I'm late again," Alex came rushing towards them, and Charlie was glad for the distraction.

"Hi Alex, glad you could make it in. Is everything all right with your mother?"

Alex nodded. "Yeah, I'd taken her to the healers but the appointment ran late, and again I'm so—"

"It's fine," Charlie waved his hand in the air. "You know I like looking after Siivo." He laughed before he turned to Neville and made the introductions. "Alex, this is Neville, he and my family are visiting me for today. Neville, this is Alexandru, the best dragonologist in training."

Alex blushed slightly and he looked at Neville and nodded. "Charlie's too nice to me," he said before he shook Neville's hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Same," Neville said, his voice was coarse, and he averted his gaze quickly away.

Charlie felt a bit of tension coming from Neville but couldn't place his finger on why.

"Anyway, we're off then. I'll see you in the morning, Alex." They walked away towards the office and Charlie told Neville they'd take the Floo to his flat. Neville shrugged an okay.

When they arrived at the office, the night shift manager was looking down at his ledger.

"Hey, Jonas. This is Neville," Charlie said, as he continued to make introductions with Neville with people that were in the office. Jonas, Danya, Melina, and Edmund. Neville was polite with all of them and he still looked like he was a bit tense.

"This way," Charlie said, placing his hand on the small of Neville's back and guiding him to the other room where the Floo network was set up. He tried not to roll his eyes at himself at finding an excuse to touch Neville.

"Great meeting you all," Neville said, throwing his head back, and Charlie thought he'd slightly leaned into the touch.

As they were standing in front of the Floo, Charlie decided to ask. "Is everything all right with you?"

"Yes, of course. Why?"

"Just…I thought I felt some…tension maybe? I mean, I'm sorry. I might be reading into it too much. Just, with dragons, they can't communicate so I have to read them very closely, learn things about them, and know what they're trying to tell me. It's a habit that's crossed over towards people now too."

"Oh," Neville said, clearing his throat. He ran a hand through his hair and looking sheepish.

"I…just… that bloke, Alex, he's just really good looking, is all."

"Oh? Your type?" Charlie asked, his heart slightly sinking. Here he was thinking he might actually be able to say something to Neville – what, he'd no idea, but – make some sort of a move. Now that they were both single. And he fancied Alex?

Sure, Alex was good looking. _Very_ good looking, but he was a kid. He supposed Alex was closer to Neville's age, anyway so it'd make sense for Neville to find him attainable. Charlie was done trying to shag twenty-two year olds now. He was done with casual fucks, and especially with the ones that worked with him.

"No. Not at all," Neville said, shaking his head. He seemed adamant about it. "I like older men."

"Oh," Charlie said again. That was good to know.

"I just…do you see the way he looks at you? I swear, it's either you've already went to bed with him and didn't want a repeat or _he_ really wishes to take you to bed."

"You got all of that from just one polite exchange?" Charlie asked, surprised. Was Neville… _jealous_?

Neville threw his head back and laughed. He exposed his long lean neck, his perfectly blemish-free skin, and when he looked at Charlie again; his blond hair was back in his eyes.

Charlie resisted the urge to reach over and tuck it back behind his ear.

"I'm good with people too. I know _that_ look."

"What look?"

"The look of when someone wants to be in your pants. Badly," Neville said, shrugging. "I've seen the way some of Harry and Draco's friends look at you. Men and women. You attract this _attention_ with your presence in the room. I mean, you'd seen the way Rosie was blushing and all shy when she was around you today. Everyone is mesmerized with you and—"

"And you?" Charlie asked immediately. He didn't care what everyone else thought.

He wanted to know if Neville was equally mesmerised.

"What about me?"

"Where's your latest boyfriend? Every time I'd seen you, you had someone hanging off your arm. I mean, you can deny it, but Alex is just your type. I don't remember any of your boyfriends being older than you. If they were, they couldn't have been more than a year or two years older."

"You've keep tabs on my boyfriends?" Neville asked, sounding amused.

Charlie shrugged. "You're not answering the question."

"Stefan and I broke it off six months ago. He was very jealous and possessive and I couldn't deal with it."

"And after that? You've not dated anyone?" Charlie knew how it sounded, but during his weekly Floo-calls with his mother, she liked to tell him gossip of everyone that was around her. One gay son, and she'd thought she'd hit gold. Especially since Ginny was never interested in gossip. She was far too busy being a Quidditch celebrity.

Neville gave Charlie a smirk, but didn't comment on his question. "It was a few weeks after I realised the kind of relationship I want. And…I also realised I liked someone. I mean, I never gave it a go with this man, but I wanted to. I just didn't know how to approach him. He's always been too intimidating for me."

"So what did you do?" Charlie asked, curious. Did he dare think Neville was thinking about him? When Neville and Stefan had broken up, Charlie was with Deepak, but Deepak wanted to move to India, and Charlie wasn't ready for that big of a commitment. Had Neville heard of him and Deepak, just like Charlie had heard of him and Stefan?

"I've been waiting for a chance. I reckon speaking to Rosie about her favourite uncle helps."

"George?" Charlie teased.

"Even though Angelina would gladly hand George off to me, I have to say he's not my type."

"What? Too funny? Not older enough?"

"Well, he doesn't give me one look, and makes me forget my own name. Or what day of the week it is. When he places a hand on me, I don't shiver all over my body and wish I could feel more than just a fleeting touch," Neville said, his gaze heated and fixed on Charlie.

"Merlin, I wish we weren't talking about this while I'm still at work," Charlie said, and pulled Neville close to him, wrapping his arm around Neville's waist.

"What are you doing?" Neville asked, his face almost buried in Charlie's neck.

"Apparating us home. Less messy," Charlie said, and a moment later, he'd Disapparated them from his office.

When they arrived in the sitting room at Charlie's flat, Charlie didn't immediately let go of him. He had half a mind to have Apparated them to his bedroom, but then thought better of it. He didn't want to give Neville the wrong idea. Even if he wanted Neville now. More than ever. Especially since Neville had just confessed his own desires for Charlie.

Neville looked up at Charlie, his eyes fixed on Charlie's lips. "Um…" he began to say and then licked his lips again.

Charlie leaned down and kissed Neville. He couldn't wait anymore. He'd wanted this man for so long and if he didn't get that kiss now, he'd probably go stir crazy. He needed to be calm and collected for his work, and part of that included not having a stressful life outside of the job.

He sagged into the kiss more when Neville kissed him back with his hands tightening around Charlie. There was a small moaning sound and Charlie didn't know if it was him or Neville that'd reacted so. But he wanted it to continue. He pushed Neville back and they started to walk towards the sofa, eventually, plopping down on it.

They kissed for what felt like only a few minutes, but Charlie knew it'd been a while. He didn't want to stop, but they had to be somewhere else. This wasn't the end of a really good date that now he could take his time with Neville.

"We have to go…" Charlie panted, still managing to steal a few kisses from Neville.

"I know. Fuck…" Neville sighed against Charlie's lips. "Merlin, I feel loads stupid for not doing this months ago."

"Me too," Charlie said. "I mean, me doing it, not that you're stupid or…come here." They started kissing again, each lick, bite, and suck wasn't good enough. Charlie wanted more. _Needed_ more.

Finally Neville was the one that had been strong enough to pull away from Charlie. "We should really stop before they come knocking here asking why we haven't arrived to dinner yet."

"Right. Shite. I have to take a shower," Charlie said. He quickly untangled himself from Neville and stood up. "I'll be ten minutes tops."

"Okay. Great. I'll just wait here," Neville said, awkwardly laughing.

It was probably too early for Charlie to ask Neville to come and take a shower with him, so he just smiled. "Yeah, don't go anywhere, or I'll think this was all a dream."

"Yeah. I'm just about ready to pinch myself, as well," Neville replied, running a hand through his hair.

"If you've got any stuff, well, the guest room is through there," Charlie said and Neville nodded, following the direction of Charlie's hand. "Okay, I'll be right back." Then he was out of the sitting room and headed over to his own bedroom.

He hoped telling Neville to put his things in the guest room was a good idea. He didn't know what the etiquette was in situations like these. They both wanted it each other, maybe even wanted more than just casual kissing, or eventually fucking. Did Charlie want to go out with Neville? Like a boyfriend? Could they actually do long distance thing if it came down to that?

Charlie remembered what Neville said about Stefan that he was too possessive and jealous, so maybe a long distance thing with someone who always kept himself calm like Charlie wouldn't be such a bad thing.

When he was dressed and ready to go, Charlie returned to the sitting room. Neville was sitting on the sofa at the same spot Charlie had left him, but he looked as though he'd changed clothes.

"I didn't realise you had actually brought something," Charlie said.

"I had a small suitcase I'd used the shrinking charm on. It was in my robes. Hermione made sure we were all packed and prepared for the night."

"Of course," Charlie said, laughing. "I should have realised that."

He took a tentative step closer to Neville, wondering if what he'd felt had been real or not, when Neville took a step closer to him too. They kissed again. It was gentle, unlike the snogging session they'd shared on the sofa, but it was great just the same. If anything, it simply reassured Charlie that there was something there and he'd not been crazy to have imagined it.

"Ready to go?" Charlie asked a moment later.

"How do you know which restaurant we're going to?" Neville asked.

"There's only one fancy restaurant in this tiny village, and it's always the same one Ron likes to go to," Charlie replied.

He placed his hand on Neville's shoulder and Neville leaned into him. Charlie Apparated them to Inimă și acasă.

When the walked in through the front door, Charlie was surprised to find only Harry and Draco at the bar.

"Where's Ron and Hermione and the kids?" Neville asked before Charlie could get a chance.

Harry looked sheepish but Draco spoke evenly and with composure. "Hugo was having trouble and was crying uncontrollably. So Grang—I mean Hermione and Ron decided to stay at the Inn and call it a night. They wish to come over for breakfast, if that's all right with you, before we head back home."

"Uh-huh," Charlie said, narrowing his eyes at Harry, who shrugged.

He would have taken the excuse as valid, if Harry wasn't acting so strangely. He looked over at Neville who looked equally puzzled and annoyed.

"We should get a table," Harry said finally, going to look for the hostess.

Draco shook his head at Harry and returned his gaze on Charlie and Neville. "Potter is a terrible liar, so please, do be kind to him. I for one, had thought this whole _double date_ idea was ridiculous but _some people_ don't like letting nature take its course."

"So you and Harry, that was nature taking its course?" Neville asked. "You all but announced it in the _Daily Prophet_ you wanted Harry to ask you out on a date. You dropped hints with everyone—"

"Potter is a bit thick," Draco said coolly. "I for one have seen the way the two of you looked at each other today, when the other wasn't looking. I knew that it'd be in no time—"

"The table's ready," Harry said as he returned to the group and made an announcement with much too much excitement.

"Okay, so at which point of the evening, do you two feign illness and leave?" Charlie asked.

"What—" Harry said with honest surprise. He was still blushing, though.

"This is so embarrassing," Neville said, hiding his face in his hand.

Charlie stepped closer to Neville and placed his arm around him. "You know what, it's your first night in Râmnicu Vâlcea, why don't the two of _you_ enjoy a nice evening at the restaurant and then go out for a walk. We'll see you in the morning."

"Charlie, I—" Harry began to speak but Draco cut him off.

"See, I told you. Thank you, Charlie."

Charlie shook his head at both Draco and Harry and left the restaurant with his arm around Neville.

"Where are we going?" Neville asked, once they were outside Inimă și acasă.

"There's a cute little place called Beca's just around the corner from here. The woman's like over a hundred years old, Muggle, and makes the best homemade stuffed cabbage rolls and ghiveci…" When Neville gave him a look of confusion, Charlie added, "it's a stew. Just trust me."

They walked into Beca's and the place was overcrowded as always. Beca's daughter who ran the place greeted Charlie and Neville in her broken English and found them a corner table. Charlie never brought anyone over at Beca's, anyone he was interested in romantically that is, because this place was almost like a second home to him. Except with Neville, he _wanted_ to share it with him.

"This place is amazing," Neville said after they finished off the stew, and Beca's daughter had brought over far too much food than they both needed.

"Yeah, Jonas turned me on to it. I love it here," he said.

Neville smiled at him, and took a sip of the wine as if he were stalling about something.

"How do you suppose they came to the conclusion about bringing us together?" Charlie asked once he'd finished off his glass of wine and decided to not have another.

Neville smiled shyly. "I reckon with me it was obvious. The dragon books I brought over for Rosie. Your mother always talking about you and I was the only one who was eager to listen to what was going on in your life. And when they discussed the trip with me, I couldn't say yes to coming fast enough. I mean, I saw the looks Hermione and Ginny gave me whenever I was over – I should have known that I was too easy to read. Always have been."

"Shit, Neville. I've fancied you too. For so long that I can't even remember. It always just felt like the tim—"

"The timing was always wrong. I know," Neville said. "Maybe that's why they wanted us to push towards each other. Draco has a hard time settling into the lifestyle where everyone's a Gryffindor."

"Will you…um…will you stay longer?" Charlie found himself asking before he could stop himself. He knew he wanted this, but the idea that Neville might simply leave tomorrow with the others was nerve-wracking.

"With you?" Neville asked, and then rolled his eyes, as if he'd realised it was obvious. With Charlie.

"Yeah. I've to just work tomorrow for a few hours, but I'm free for the next two days after. I mean, I could show you around and I mean you don't have—"

"Yes," Neville said quickly. "I'd like to stay. I mean. I want to stay. A lot."

"Brilliant," Charlie said with a huge grin that he couldn't hide if he'd tried.

They took a long walk around the village as Charlie showed Neville a few things he loved about it. When they finally arrived at his flat, Charlie placed his hand on Neville's lower back again and ushered him in. And again, Neville had leaned into the touch.

They stood in the sitting room, almost on the exact spot as before and Charlie kissed Neville again. He didn't want the night to end, but it was getting late. Everyone was supposedly arriving for breakfast in the morning and then Charlie had a long shift at work ahead of him. He didn't want to be too tired for any of it, because he wanted to be able to enjoy his time off with Neville, and not sleep it off as he always did.

"I think it's probably a good idea if we take this just a bit slow. Don't you think?" Charlie asked.

Neville nodded. "Yeah. It's a good idea. I mean, I want more…loads more, but we have the next three days ahead of us. We can take our time…" Neville kissed Charlie's lips quickly. "Discussing what we want…" He kissed right under Charlie's right ear, and then started to leave a trail of kisses down his neck. "I want to have all the time in the world to be able to enjoy you."

This time when he looked up at Charlie, Neville's hair was back in his eyes. And this time, Charlie didn't hesitate pulling them back and touching Neville's face.

"I think that's a great idea."


	2. Chapter 2

When Neville woke up the next morning in Charlie's flat, begrudgingly in the guestroom, he could hardly believe it. Not that he was at Charlie's flat, but the fact that they'd snogged for hours last night after their impromptu date, and then gone off to sleep in separate beds.

Charlie had suggested taking things slow, and surely, Neville had agreed. It wasn't like he had any other choice. What would he have said? "No, I just need to have you right this second?" No, that wouldn't have gone off well. It was clear Charlie liked him, liked him just as much as Neville had liked Charlie – so he needed to keep his head on straight.

There was a knock on the door and Neville straightened up.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" Charlie peeked through the door and Neville smiled up at him. He brushed his hair off his face, it really was time to get a haircut, and shook his head.

"No, just woke up," he replied.

Charlie looked refreshed, and Neville wondered if there were a time when the man didn't look brilliant.

"The shower's free if you want to hop in," Charlie said, still standing by the door.

Brilliant, the man had already woken up, showered, and was probably mid-way cooking breakfast and Neville was just lazing about feeling sorry for himself.

"Thank you," he said, and with a nod, Charlie was gone.

So much for a morning kiss. Never had Neville doubted himself so much when he'd been dating a man. He wondered if Charlie regretted kissing him, and by keeping such a distance, was he trying to tell Neville it wasn't a good idea for them to get together?

Finally, he got up off the bed and realised he didn't have a towel. Of course, he'd thought he was going to spend the night at the Inn and they usually provided such things so Neville'd not packed one. Figuring he'd simply use a drying charm on himself and his hair, he made his way to the bathroom.

When he was out of the room, he found Charlie in the kitchen. He had three pans working on the stove while he was whisking eggs.

"Hey," he said looking up at Neville and gave him a bright smile. "Sleep okay?"

"Yeah, thank," Neville said.

"There's a linen closet right before the bathroom, you can grab fresh towels from there," Charlie said, returning his attention to the cooking.

Neville stood there, staring at him. Like a fool. He couldn't move. He just _liked_ watching Charlie work. If this were the Burrow, and a few months ago, he would have stolen glances, but now he felt like he had the right to just take it all in.

After Charlie flipped the bacon on the pan, he turned to look at Neville again. Instead of confusion, for wondering why Neville was just standing there, Charlie closed the distance between them and kissed him.

Neville relaxed into the kiss. Yeah, he was being an idiot.

"I'd been resisting you kissing all morning. I wanted to come and see you the first thing I woke up, but I didn't want to be all…" Charlie paused.

"Weird, and creepy, like how I'm being? Just staring at you?"

Charlie threw his head back and laughed. Gods, Neville always thought that laugh was so bloody infectious. The house vibrated with the comfort of that laugh.

"I like that you stare at me. I like that you're mine now."

"Oh, am I?" Neville asked, teasingly. "I didn't realise we were on _claiming each other_ phase already."

Charlie gave a nervous chuckle, and Neville nearly well lost it again. "I work with dragons, Nev. They like what they see, they claim it."

 _Nev._

Neville bit his lower lip and pulled Charlie in for another kiss. They had to break apart when the bacon startled to crackle and the oil made a spluttering noise. Charlie ran back to the pan, making sure he didn't burn the food.

"I'll just take that shower then," Neville said. "I don't want to be the reason you burn all the food."

When Neville returned to the kitchen, which was on his way to the guest room, Charlie was still hard at work making breakfast. Unfortunately for Neville, he'd not thought about bringing a change of clothes so he was simply in a towel graciously provided by his host.

In the past, Neville had never cared about his appearance. Not really. He wasn't one that spent a lot of time fretting over his looks or his body. He was awkward and lanky, and that was okay with him. Growing up he'd been a bit chunky but that'd eventually all shed off as he grew up. Charlie on the other hand, was worth of being a male model on those Muggle calendars Harry had once shown Neville and Draco. Even under a long sleeved shirt and cotton trousers, it was easy to spot the back muscles, the perfectly toned physique, and that _bloody_ arse.

Neville must have really been doing something right with himself if someone looked like Charlie bloody Weasley had confessed with… _Shit, Neville. I've fancied you too. For so long that I can't even remember._

Neville tried to walk past Charlie as fast as he could so he could get to the guest room. But when Charlie's gaze caught him, he was pinned at his spot again.

"Hi…" Charlie said, raking his eyes over Neville.

Neville instinctively tried to cover himself with the bunched up sleepwear he was holding. He wasn't as fit as Charlie, bloody hell, he wasn't fit at all. He didn't have a flat stomach or well-defined abs, or—

He was so busy revelling in self-pity that Neville didn't realise Charlie was once again very close to him, and his hand grabbed Neville by the back of his neck and pulled him close.

"What is it?" Charlie asked, clearly having felt Neville's hesitation.

"I…Sorry. I just…I'm not as hot as you are."

Charlie frowned slightly, before he pressed his lips to Neville's, kissing him gently. A moment later, he'd pulled Neville close, chest to chest with Neville's clothes on the floor and his arm wrapped around Charlie's waist.

They pressed their hips together as Neville moaned into the kiss. What had he been thinking? He shouldn't have stopped to see Charlie again. He was only in a towel and it was now very prominently tented in the groin area. He felt awkward and foolish until he realised he wasn't alone. Charlie's groin pressed into his, and he was hard too.

There was a knock on the door to the flat and they quickly pulled apart. Charlie's cheeks were flushed and Neville's towel had nearly fallen off.

"Bloody hell," he squeaked before fixing himself up, picking up his clothes off the floor and sprinting to the guest room.

Finally managing to get dressed without any more mishaps, especially after really willing for his erection to go down first, Neville made his way the sitting room.

"Why are you coming out of the guestroom?" Draco asked Neville when he nodded a good morning to everyone

"I…slept there?" Neville said, confused.

"Oh, well, what was the point of all of this if you were going to be sleeping in the _guestroom_ ," Draco said.

"Draco!" Hermione scolded.

"Mama said you were going to be sleeping in Uncle Charlie's room like Uncle Harry and Uncle Draco sleep in the same room together," Rose said.

"I—" Neville was at a complete loss of words. So he had _no_ idea that evidently everyone was trying to get him and Charlie together. He supposed he should have been thankful for that. If they hadn't left him alone with Charlie, then he wouldn't have flirted as he did the day before.

"Not everyone jumps at the opportunity of sharing a bedroom as Uncle Harry and Uncle Draco," Charlie said, and Neville sighed with relief.

"Hey now!" Harry protested.

"Can we just eat and not discuss bedroom situations in front of the children, please?" Ron said, handing the sleeping Hugo off to Hermione who immediately sat down on the sofa.

Breakfast was a noisy affair in the most typical Weasley fashion. There was not a proper dining table at Charlie's flat so everyone simply helped themselves from the kitchen and then sat around in a big circle in the sitting room. Charlie sat on the floor as there wasn't enough sofa room, and Neville decided to sit next to him.

They weren't cuddled up together, not the way Harry and Draco always did, but Neville was glad to feel the warmth of Charlie's body next to his. It was comforting, reassuring, and promising. If he was so contended to simply share such space with him, he was certainly looking forward to sharing a bed together.

"Ginny's coming to visit next month when her team is off for the celebration of the summer solstice," Hermione said when Ron, Draco, and Harry had got into a long winded discussion over Puddlemere United's chances in the next World Cup.

"Yeah, you should come then too," Ron said, quickly, and Hermione looked glad they'd stopped bickering.

"Maybe. Summer solstice is a tough time at the sanctuary. We have our own rituals with the drago—"

"I suppose you shall be visiting more often now, given your recent development…Ow!" Draco exclaimed when Harry and Hermione both elbowed him in the ribs.

Neville couldn't help but started laughing. Everyone wanted to discuss the Hippogriff in the room, yet no one wanted to discuss the Hippogriff in the room.

"I think we should leave soon. Mum's probably going to go mental if we miss the Portkey," Ron said. Neville stood up first and gathered their plates to take them to the kitchen. He figured some alone time for Charlie with his family was probably a good idea.

Draco joined him in the kitchen. He'd most likely thought the same.

"So things are promising?" Draco asked when they were alone.

Neville nodded. "Yeah. Slow, but promising."

"I'm glad to hear that, Longbottom," Draco said, smiling. "You can do worse than…" he searched for the words, looking very troubled, "…a Dragon Tamer."

Neville threw his head back and let out a very loud bark of laughter. "Is that what you call Harry?"

Draco immediately reddened, but he didn't get a chance to respond when Charlie entered the kitchen.

"Hey, Draco. Can I talk to Charlie alone?"

Draco nodded and quickly left the room.

"What is it?" Charlie asked, looking worried.

"I was thinking, since you have to work for a few hours, and I don't have another change of clothes…would it be all right with you if I left with them with the Portkey, and arranged for another one to return a few hours from now?"

"For a change of clothes?" Charlie asked, looking serious.

"Yes," Neville said.

"Well, Neville. If you were planning on wearing clothes, then you might as well not come back." Charlie's look was grim, but Neville saw the glint in his eyes, before he started to laugh.

"Merlin, you had me worried," Neville said, sarcastically.

"You are going to come back though, right?"

"Not returning is the last thing on my mind."

"I can only wonder what the first few things are," Charlie said, leaning down to kiss Neville again.


	3. Chapter 3

When Charlie arrived at work, his good mood dissipated quickly. He had been looking forward to seeing Neville again, spending the next two days with him. It wasn't anyone's fault, but bad luck, that Alex's mum's situation worsened and he was required to stay home to care for it.

This only meant Charlie's short shift was going to be a very long one. The work wasn't so hard, but it was just the fact that he had to stay there for eight hours now, instead of four. He didn't even have time to Floo-call Neville to let him know he could simply take his time because Charlie wasn't going to be home when he got there.

He grabbed a quick parchment and wrote his message down in a few short words, and then grabbed his assistant Natya and handed it to her.

"Can you owl this for me? I've wrote the address on the top," he said and Natya nodded.

He only hoped that no disaster would happen today. Siivo had been sick for a while now, and all Charlie wanted to do was spend time with his favourite dragon, taking care of him.

* * *

-*/-*/*-/*-

* * *

Nearly nine hours later when Charlie took the Floo home, he found Neville curled up on the sofa. He had a few books resting on top of him and several parchments scattered about.

Charlie realised he probably didn't even have anything cooked at home that Neville could have eaten. Shite, he should have stopped over at Beca's before and picked up something to eat for them.

As he approached the sofa, Neville stirred in his sleep, but didn't wake. Charlie smiled down, simply adoring his...what was Neville? His soon-to-be boyfriend? His love? No, it was far too soon for that? His romantic interest?

"Hey," Neville said, when Charlie had clearly been hovering over the man for a while.

"Hey, sorry. Did you get my owl?" Charlie knelt down so he could eye-level with Neville.

"Yeah. It was fine. I only came here a few hours ago, just in case you got done early. I brought work to do-you know lesson plans and all that for next year."

"Sorry I'm late then. Alex was out and then the evening shift staff were running late because of their quarterly meeting-"

"It's okay," Neville said, smiling. He sat up and pressed his hand against Charlie's cheek. Charlie leaned into the caress, closing his eyes. "I'm just glad to see you."

Neville bent down to press his lips against Charlie's and Charlie immediately wrapped his arms around him. It felt _so good_ to be in his arms, to feel his hot breath on his, the stubble on his cheeks. Charlie had fantasised about Neville for probably years, never realising how strong his yearning really had been. Not until he'd had a taste of Neville.

Neville deepened the kiss as he moaned against Charlie's mouth, his tongue swirling against Neville's. Charlie pulled him closer, and a moment later, without breaking the kiss, Neville all but threw the books off the sofa.

Charlie climbed on top of Neville, settling in his lap as they continued to kiss with hands roaming about under their shirts.

Every ounce of exhaustion Charlie had felt prior to coming home was diminished as he felt Neville's strong body against his. He _needed_ this. Needed it so much more than anything else. He wasn't hungry, thirsty, or tired anymore. He was just glad to be there. To have Neville there with him.

"I put my things in your bedroom," Neville said, in between their kisses, trying to pull Charlie's shirt off.

"Good," Charlie said, biting Neville's lower lip, before his mouth went searching for skin, starting with Neville's jaw, then kissing down his neck until he met his shoulder.

"I didn't want to assume-"

"Assume away," Charlie panted. His hands growing bolder, reaching for the belt on Neville's trousers.

Neville's hands started to pull on Charlie's hair while he gave Charlie a bruising kiss. "You don't think we're going too fast do you?" he asked, almost humping into Charlie's hand when Charlie was trying to unbuckle Neville's belt with one hand and rubbing Neville's groin with another.

"No," Charlie said as he bit down on Neville's lower lip again. "Unless you do-"

"Not at all. I want this, Charlie. Want _you_..." The last bit came out in a plea which only made Charlie groan. His own cock was straining against his pants, and he didn't want to tell Neville to touch him. He wanted to, but he also love the way Neville was pulling on his hair, and kissing him, breathing Charlie in.

"You feel so good in my hands," Charlie said when he finally managed to free Neville's cock and tugged on it. Neville felt so firm, so hot in his hands and Charlie wanted to feel him everywhere. He wanted to brush his lips against it; he wanted to rub his own erection and get them off that way.

Eventually, Neville let go of Charlie's hair, but only to push his trousers down slightly. Charlie followed his cue and unbuttoned his own trousers and pushed them and his pants down to their ankles.

"Is this okay?" Charlie asked, guiding Neville on the sofa, pushing his back down to it as he climbed on top of him again.

"Yes. Please! Feels so good," Neville said, his hips rising up and his cock brushing against Charlie's erection. "More. Want to feel you more, Charlie."

Charlie pressed his forehead against Neville's and they both looked down as Charlie rubbed them both raw. Neville grabbed Charlie's arse and pulled him closer, as if to add more friction, and he whimpered, closing his eyes.

"Fuck," Charlie groaned, his mouth sliding down Neville's jaw again and he bit on Neville's shoulder, through his fabric as he increased the pressure, stroking them harder, faster.

"I'm gonna co-" Neville moaned at the same time when Charlie felt the pressure that started at the base of his spine and shuddered through his body.

Neville spilled all over Charlie's hand first before Charlie splattered over Neville's shirt. They both stayed there, Charlie settled in between Neville's legs, and Neville breathing heavily pinned underneath Charlie.

Charlie closes his eyes for a moment, listening to Neville's heartbeat, when Neville started to rake his fingers through his hair again.

"Love the way you do that," Charlie said, smiling to himself.

"Yeah? I've always had a bit of thing about your hair. I've wanted to touch it so much..." Neville laughed softly and Charlie felt a vibration from Neville's body to his own. "I sound like a proper stalker or something."

Charlie moved his head to look up at Neville. "No. Not all that bad."

"What about if I told you I've fantasised about pulling on your hair while you fuck me from behind?"

Charlie's cock twitched with interest at the sex in Neville's voice. Gods, he'd be ready to go at it again if Neville wanted it.

"I would say that there's a good chance of it becoming a reality," Charlie replied. He finally got up off Neville and fetched his wand to clean them up.

They were still somewhat clothed, Neville more than him, and they looked utterly ridiculous.

"Do you want to move this to the bedroom?" Charlie asked as he pulled on his trousers and put his shirt back on.

"All right," Neville said, smiling shyly. He stood up and fixed his clothes as well. His books and parchments looked in terrible conditions and Charlie felt slightly bad for that.

"I'll help you," Charlie said, bending down to pick up Neville's work.

When everything seemed sorted, Charlie grabbed Neville by the elbow and all but dragged him to the bedroom.

"So I take it we're not to leave this room for the next two days?" Neville asked, teasing tone in his voice.

"You're correct. I'll have to eventually fire-call for some delivery, but that's about it."

"Oh, that's too bad," Neville said, looking thoughtful. "I was hoping to see more of your town, get a proper tour and all."

"No you weren't," Charlie said in a commanding tone. Even if Neville was teasing him, it wasn't funny. Now that he'd had a small taste of Neville _and_ learned about his fantasies, he wasn't going to get any sleep for the next two days.

Neville moved towards Charlie's bed and started to take his clothes off. When he settled under the covers, he smiled up at Charlie. "You're right. I wasn't. Maybe next trip?"

* * *

 _ **That's it for now.  
**_


	4. Chapter 4

Pressed against the cool tile of the shower stall, Neville moaned as the hot water poured over him, and Charlie pressed himself behind him.

They'd just finished their breakfast at four in the morning as Charlie was scheduled to leave for work at six, and Neville figured that showering together would not only save them time, but also allow them to _spend_ more time together.

When he'd agreed to spend Charlie's weekend off with him, he'd not thought it would be the best weekend of his life. He had a sneaky suspicion about it though, yet, he wasn't going to jinx himself by having high expectations.

Charlie nearly towered over him, pressing his cock in between his legs, and moaning against his ear. He slid back and forth, slicked between Neville's thighs, and Neville felt that he could simply come just by Charlie doing that to him.

"You feel so fucking good," Charlie mumbled as he continued to slide in and out. Neville figured he was being generous, given how much they'd rubbed each other raw, and the countless number of times Charlie had already come inside him.

He figured Charlie probably thought Neville was sore, and if anything, having another go would be painful. Neville wanted to tell him that no matter how many times he fucked Neville, it wouldn't be enough.

"I want to see you," Neville managed to say and Charlie quickly turned him around. He took both their erections in his hand and started to stroke them together again, when Neville reached under and cupped Charlie's balls. He squeezed lightly, "I've never felt like this with anyone before."

Charlie smiled at Neville's whispered confession and kissed him.

" _So good_." Charlie's grip was tight, the way Neville loved, and he'd learned to do the things that Charlie liked too. "I wish I didn't have to go to work so soon," Charlie said when Neville sucked on his neck, making sure to leave his mark there.

They were quiet again for a while, the only sounds in the tiny shower stall was of the hot water pouring over them and the slick slippery noise of Charlie's hand fucking them both in unison. Neville reached back and pressed a tentative finger against Charlie's hole. He'd no idea if Charlie ever bottomed, they'd not discussed it. If anything, Neville was more than happy to give himself over to Charlie. He wasn't much of a bottom himself, but with Charlie, it'd not been a question. He knew he wanted to feel that man inside him, and that he did. Multiple times.

Charlie bit his lower lip and closed his eyes. Neville took that to mean that he didn't mind the intrusion so he pressed his finger in, slightly breaching the boundary when Charlie groaned. "Fuck, I'm gonna-"

The silence returned, but it wasn't awkward. It was comfortable, and sexy, and easy in a way that Neville had never felt with another partner.

They came quietly, which was different from their times before. Usually, Charlie was loud and encouraging, pushing Neville over the edge with his moans, or dirty talk, but now it felt different. Maybe it was because now they were going to part. Charlie was going back to work, their little holiday away from reality and life was getting over, and Neville was going to return to his life: lesson planning and living with his grandmother.

As he spilled over Charlie's hand, his few fingers still inside Charlie, his heart broke a little. Was this it? Would they ever do this again? Surely, the family expected them to be a thing now, given how adamant they were about getting both Neville and Charlie together, but what happened in their relationship wasn't their decision. It was Charlie's; especially because Neville knew now he could never go back.

"Turn around, I'll wash your back," Charlie said and Neville obliged. They took their time cleaning up and Charlie continued to steal kisses in the shower, as if assuring Neville that he didn't have anything to worry about. Charlie _had_ mentioned how he was good at reading people, and maybe he'd read Neville's insecurity.

Neville silently cursed himself for letting his guard down and being so open to Charlie. He probably took Neville for an insecure fool.

When they were dried and dressed, Charlie made them more coffee.

"You could have slept in," Charlie said, sitting beside Neville on the sofa. "I'm the one who had to get up early to go to work. You didn't have to-"

"I know. But I wanted to see you off. I don't know when we'd see each other again."

"But you want to see me again, right?" Charlie asked. He sounded confident, and if anything, a bit demanding. Neville loved that about him.

"I don't think you'll be able to stop me. If you choose not to see me again, I might have to send Hermione after you," Neville said in what he hoped was a teasing tone.

Charlie leaned in to kiss Neville again. "We'll have to figure out some sort of a dating schedule," he said. "Especially, when you go back to Hogwarts."

"So, you want to do this? For real?" Neville asked. Dating usually wasn't that hard for him. He'd go out with a bloke a few times before they'd have sex and then decide to become boyfriends. With Charlie, it was a completely new scenario. How did you decide to become boyfriends with a man that you fancied for ages and jumped into bed after one evening?

"Did you forget the part where I'd confessed that I'd fancied you for a while?" Charlie asked, and Neville bit his lower lip before shaking his head. "Yeah, I want this for real. I don't share, Neville. And I'm certainly not willing to share you. I don't know how a long-distance relationship can work, especially with someone like me who doesn't have a steady schedule, and how it'll progress school starts again, but I'd like for us to be something more."

"Is this your way of saying that you want to be my boyfriend, Charlie?"

Charlie shook his head as if almost in disbelief and his cheeks flushed. "I'm trying to say that and not sound like a thirteen year old boy, especially when I'm a thirty-one year old."

"Hmm," Neville said, kissing Charlie's cheek again and then finishing the last of his coffee in one go. "Boyfriend does have a nice ring to it though."

"So do you want that? Be my boyfriend and all?" Charlie asked, looking awkward.

"Why do I get this sneaky suspicion you've never asked anyone that question before?" Neville asked. He'd seen Charlie bring men around the Burrow during holidays, and they were certainly men he was in a relationship with, but did that mean Charlie had never actually pursued anyone before? Were they all men that fretted after him? Somehow, that piece of information didn't surprise Neville.

"I haven't," Charlie said, with his cool and casual resolved. "You're the first bloke _I've_ ever asked to be my boyfriend. Now you can imagine why I'm having such trouble. I usually just _fell_ into a relationship. Now, this time, I'm aspiring for one."

Before Neville could reply, Charlie's alarm went off. It was this little analogue clock that was on the kitchen counter but that bugger was the loudest thing Neville had ever come across.

"Blimey, I've got to leave now or I'll be late for my shift," Charlie said. He grabbed the empty coffee cups and hurried over to the kitchen and shut off the alarm.

"I..." Neville began to speak but he couldn't when Charlie pulled Neville towards him and kissing him again. They stood by the kitchen door, Neville pressed against the archway as Charlie seemed to be taking his fill in.

"You don't have to answer me. Just think about my question. I know it's a lot to ask. Long-distance and exclusivity." He kissed Neville one last time before grabbing his travelling cloak and heading towards the fireplace. "Stay as long as you'd like."

Then with a whoosh of the Floo, he was gone, leaving Neville alone in his flat.

Neville went into the bedroom to grab his things and decided to leave also. He didn't want to stay in the flat alone. Even though, he did feel tired and could have used another couple hours of sleep.

He couldn't believe Charlie had told him to think it over. There was no thinking about it. Upon arriving home, he drew up a parchment and wrote his answer down on it. He owled it to Charlie so it would arrive at the sanctuary while he was still at work.

 _Just so you know, Gran has a policy about meeting all my boyfriends. So let me know when's a good time for you to pop over and have dinner. I'll cook._


	5. Chapter 5

Charlie held the headboard firmly as Neville fucked himself on Charlie's cock. His movements were steady, calculated, and considerate. It was the longest they'd ever lasted, especially given how long it had really been since the last time they'd been together.

The breeze from the window in their room at the Hog's Head Inn was cool for a night in June, and it only added onto the mood of how Charlie felt. He felt free. He loved being with Neville, and to know that Neville continued to miss him, to show him how much he cared for him, was incredible.

Neville's head was thrown back, a single drop of sweat trickling down his neck, and Charlie longed to lick it. Still, he didn't move and watched as Neville did his thing; it was his only request. Since it'd been almost two months since the last time they'd actually seen each other; _touched_ each other, Neville had begged Charlie to let him take his time.

Charlie wasn't the best at vocalizing his feelings; it was why it had taken him as long as it had for them to get together in the first place, but hearing Neville tell him of his own feelings - made him willing to do anything for Neville.

His cock throbbed as Neville's tight hole enveloped him. Neville rose and fell with so much ease and it made Charlie jealous of the toy Neville had said he'd been using whenever he'd missed Charlie. He didn't want to be jealous of a bloody dildo, but he was. His work had kept him occupied, especially since two of his favourite co-workers had quit, and one had been promoted. They were short on staff at the sanctuary, and Charlie had to put in sixteen hour days for weeks on end.

Neville had been busy during the school year, too. He'd not only been promoted as the Chairperson of the Herbology and Botany department for the European Educational System, but he was also personally mentoring five students. There were very few hours in the day that allowed them to be able to Floo call each other, and school holidays, such as Christmas and Easter were spent with family, leaving very little room for alone time.

Still, Neville never complained about not seeing Charlie. Charlie had thought Neville might say that they should no longer be exclusive, but he'd not done so. Charlie was worried about the strain of everyday life and additional work would put on their relationship, but Neville never deterred from telling Charlie how much he cared about him, and how happy he was to see him. As little as it had been.

He loved watching Neville like this. It was obvious that Neville had been tense with his responsibilities, so allowing him to do this, to use Charlie in a way was almost liberating. Knowing that there'd been so much pent up frustration, and to know that Charlie was the one helping Neville release it was by far the most extraordinary thing he'd experienced.

"Shit, Neville. I'm going to come," Charlie said, as Neville continued to bounce on him deliberately. He was worried that it was too soon, that Neville wasn't ready for him to come yet, but he couldn't help himself. Merlin, he never wanted to look away from Neville when he looked so contended.

"Yes, Charlie!" Neville gasped, finally opening his eyes and turning his head to look down at Charlie. "Fuck. Yeah. Fill me!"

Charlie obeyed. His cock still throbbed as Neville clenched his hole and Charlie spilled himself inside him. He grabbed Neville's hips and held him down, still pumping into him for as long as he could.

When Neville pulled up slightly, and Charlie's limp cock was freed, Charlie grabbed the back of Neville's thighs and urged him to walk up to him. Neville seemed to understand what Charlie wanted and a moment later, Charlie had his lips wrapped around Neville's cock and he sucked him dry.

Neville came with a cry and Charlie wondered if they'd been loud enough for the people in the neighbouring rooms to hear. He didn't care though. He wanted to please Neville in any way possible.

"Gods, that was fucking..." Neville panted, laying down next to Charlie on the bed with his arms and legs wrapped around Charlie's body.

"You were amazing," Charlie said, smiling and closed his eyes. Just a few more days of school and then Neville was free for the summer.

Neville laughed. "I would take credit for being a natural, but you know that I've been practicing," he said, nuzzling into Charlie's neck. "Still, the real thing is far better. You've no idea how much I missed you."

"Come stay with me for the summer," Charlie said, and opened his eyes immediately. It was something he'd been thinking about and now had unknowingly blurted it out.

"What?" Neville said, propping himself up on this elbow to look down at Charlie. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah. I mean...we've barely seen each other since Christmas and I still have to work extra hours every day, and you said you've got a lot of travel in the summer for your educational conferences, so...I thought...maybe if we lived together, it'd be bit easier to maintain our schedules..."

"Charlie...are you asking me to _stay_ with you for the summer or-"

"Live with me," Charlie said, without hesitation. "Shift your things in my flat. We can turn the guestroom into your office. I want you to come home to me during the holidays. I don't want to schedule our lives around other people anymore, Neville. I want _us_."

"What about our families?" Neville asked; he was grinning so Charlie figured that it wasn't automatically a _no_. He sighed with relief before answering.

"They can come and visit us for a chance," Charlie said, shrugging. "If you want, I can talk to Augusta-"

"No, that's fine," Neville said. "Nan was giving me a hard time about not seeing you enough. She was sure you were going to leave me if I didn't _change my ways_." He rolled his eyes and relaxed back into Charlie's embrace. "You'd think she would be happy for my professional development, instead is more worried about marrying me off. Only grandson and all."

Charlie chuckled at Neville's words when he felt Neville stiffen next to him.

"Not that we're getting married, or I mean I don't expect that, uh... _shit_."

Charlie turned to face Neville and pulled him closer. "Stop freaking out," he said, lips against Neville's. "I know what you mean."

Neville relaxed again and closed his eyes. Charlie smiled to himself at the idea of it. They were still in the early ages of their relationship, but he wasn't completely against the idea of spending the rest of his life with Neville.

* * *

 _THE END. THANKS A LOT FOR READING THIS STORY._


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